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Hi everyone!

Only 2.5 weeks left until I leave for Atlanta! Last time, I left off at my first fitting for my P-R-O outfit. I had decided to create a black and bronze, two-piece outfit. The top was a halter with a ruffle around the neckline and the bottom was a matching ruffled skirt with attached boy shorts underneath. Everything was exactly how I had sketched it, however…

When I tried it on, I didn’t like my skirt. I have always had an athletic ‘behind’ and the skirt just seemed to emphasize this! I thought I was a ‘ruffled skirt kind-of-girl’, but I guess I was wrong. After listening to a few suggestions from both Deborah and Michael, I decided I just had to listen to my gut. I was going to scrap the skirt completely and go with a pair of sleek boy shorts. The body of the shorts would be made from the black “wet look” material and we would make the waistband out of the bronze mesh to coordinate with the top. Always keep your body in mind when designing an outfit for yourself. Think about the areas you want to highlight and the areas you want to keep subdued. Lesson learned, on my part!

The second thing I did, was dance a bit in my outfit to test how it would move. We found that the ruffle on the top was flipping around a little too much for my taste. This could easily be remedied by tacking it down in a few spots. It’s important to move around in your outfit the way you might during a performance to ensure that everything will stay where it needs to. That’s why fittings are so important when creating a solo costume – don’t skimp on this necessary step!

With modified both the design and fit, my outfit was ready to be ripped apart and put back together. Designing a uniform can be a trial and error process. There are so many things to consider and it doesn’t always come out right, the first time. What else should you consider when designing a uniform or solo costume? Check back with me next time, to find out!